Top boot installation



y 5, 1970 E. M. ADAMS 3,510,165

TOP BOOT INSTALLATION Filed April- 25, 1968 I N VENTOR.

dwh I72 y/ams ATTORNEY United States Patent US. Cl. 296-136 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An improved arrangement for retaining a convertible top dust boot on the body of a car, involving particularly an improved clip to connect the dust boot to a belt molding. The clip is broad enough in the direction lengthwise of the molding that it is a close fit notwithstanding the fact that the molding is somewhat narrower where it is curved to fit around the corner of the deck opening. At this point, the margins of the clip engage the inner curve of the molding although the center has clearance because of the curvature. This allows the use of clips of a single size and shape on both straight and curved portions of the molding.

My invention relates particularly to an improved top boot installation for convertible automobile bodies, and more generally to improved connecting and retention means for objects of the nature of dust boots, canopies, covers, and such. More specifically, my invention is embodied in an improved clip to engage the margins of a belt molding or the like, the clip having such proportions that it fits both straight and curved portions of the molding notwithstanding the variations in width of the molding arising from forming of an originally straight metal extrusion to provide arcuate sections around the corners of the car body opening.

The principal objects of my invention are to improve convertible top dust boot installations, particularly to assure that clips used to secure the rear and side margins of such top boots to a belt molding all fit properly; to facilitate the manufacture of top boots by making possible the use of clips of a single type and dimension, and to end the possibility of mischoice of clips as where clips of more than one dimension are used in a single dust boot; thereby improving the quality and lowering the cost of manufacture of top boots.

The nature of my invention and the advantages thereof will be clear to those skilled in the art from the succeeding detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention and the accompanying drawings thereof.

FIG. 1 is an axonometric view of the rear seat and top boot area of a convertible automobile body.

FIG. 2 is a partial plan view of the belt molding and top boot clips illustrating the fit of the clips on the molding.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the plane indicated by the line 33 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an axonometric view of a clip embodying my invention.

With respect to the background of my invention, attention is invited to Coppock et al. Pat. No. 3,223,446, which discloses a top boot installation in which spring clips secure the rear and side margins of the boot to a belt molding on the vehicle body, and Amesbury Pat. No. 3,332,717, which discloses a clip which has been used to retain the top boot on the molding.

The belt molding is a thin metal extrusion with inturned flanges bearing against the deck of the vehicle. The portion of the molding going across the rear of the top opening is substantially straight, likewise the forward ends of the molding alongside the top boot. The molding has curves 3,510,165 Patented May 5, 1970 at the corners of the top well. When the molding is formed into the proper curved outline, the result is a decrease in width of the molding from edge to edge at the curved portions. Since some clips engage the straight portions of the molding and some the arcuate portions, in prior use of such clips it has been found necessary for a proper fit to use clips of two different dimensions; that is, a clip adapted to engage the straight portion and a clip of slightly less span to engage the arcuate portion of the molding. By way of example, in a practical installation known to me, the span of the clips is approximately one inch with a difference of four hundredths of an inch between the clips for the straight and arcuate portions of the molding. This rather small difference is important in securing a proper fit without looseness of the clip on the molding. However, the difference is not conspicuous, and it has proved to be a problem to assure that the right clips are used in the right places.

My invention is based upon the concept that, by significantly broadening the clip in the direction lengthwise of the molding and adjusting the span of the clip to fit the straight portions of the molding, it will also fit the curved portions, since the decrease in Width of the molding is compensated by the curvature or camber of the molding if a sufficient span of the concave edge of the molding is covered by the clip. Thus, a single size clip may be employed at all points around the side and rear edges of the top boot, facilitating assembly, assuring proper fit, and economizing in the manufacture of such parts.

Proceeding now to a detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention, FIG. 1 illustrates a known type of convertible automobile body 6 having a rear deck 7 and rear quarter panels 9, and defining a passenger opening 10 within which is mounted a seat 11 which ordinarily is the rear seat of the vehicle, although not necessarily so.

Referring also to the other figures, a convertible top well 13 is defined between the back of the seat and the rear deck, and has extensions forwardly into top linkage receiving casings 14 at each side of the seat. A convertible top illustrated fragmentarily at 15 in FIG. 3 is, when lowered, housed in the top well. A top boot or dust boot 17 is provided to cover the top well. The boot may be attached to the body structure across the back of the rear seat at 18 by any suitable means such, for example, as that disclosed in the Coppock et al. patent, and may be attached around the top linkage casings 14 by snap fasteners 19. The side and rear margins of the boot are releasably attached to a belt molding extending around the rear and sides of the passenger opening and top well. As shown in FIG. 3, the belt molding 21 is a thin metal extrusion having an inner projecting edge 22 adjacent the body opening and an outer projecting edge 23. This molding is fixed to the body by means immaterial to the present invention.

Clips 25 fixed to the rear and side margins of the dust boot 17, and suitably spaced, snap over the edges of the molding 21 as clearly shown in FIG. 3 to releasably hold the top boot in place. Except for the adaptation to both straight and curved molding portions, these clips preferably are of the type disclosed in Amesbury Pat. No. 3,332,717. The clip includes a resilient body 26 having recurved flanges 27 and 29 which snap over the belt molding. The body of the clip may be made of any suitable resilient material, including such plastics as acetal resins sold under the trademark Delrin. A sheet metal coupling member 30 fixed to the upper surfaces of the clip includes tabs or prongs 31 and 32 by which it is fixed to a reinforcing strip 34 at the edge of the top boot. Note that FIG. 3 shows also a body interior panel 35 to which the convertible top 15 is fixed by bolts 37.

The novel feature of my invention is disclosed most clearly in FIG. 2 which shows the cooperation of the clips with the belt molding, the boot being absent in this view. The clip is broadened or widened at the inner or concave side of the molding and preferably tapers from a relatively narrow outer end to a wider inner end adjacent flange 27 of the clip. In FIG. 2, the outer end of the clip is designated as 41 and the inner end as 42. In the clip engaging the straight portion 38 of the molding, the clip makes contact in the bight of flanges 27 and 29 with the edges 22 and 23 of the molding along the entire width of the clip generally as indicated by the section in FIG. 3. The clip engaging the curved portion 39 of the molding makes contact at a point 45 at the center of the width of the outer flange and at two points 46 at the ends of the inner flange. There is a gap at 47 between the flange and the molding at the midsection of the clip. However, the deficiency in width of the molding is compensated by the eflect of the curvature or camber of the molding so that the eflective width from edge to edge of the narrower curved portion of the molding, with respect to the wide clip, is the same as that of the straight portion of the molding. Thus, with one form and size of clip all of the points of attachment are properly secured. With the prior clips, the width of which overall was substantially that of the outer or narrower end 41 of my clips 25, the clips were of two sets having a diflerence in effective span in one case of about four hundredths of an inch to suit the curved and straight portions of the molding respectively. Note that my clip may be of constant width: the end 41 may be widened, but this is wasteful and not advantageous.

The advantages of my invention in facilitating the assembly of convertible bodies and in improving the quality thereof will be appar nt. It will also be apparent that the principles of my invention may be embodied in other installations than that described. Particularly, for example, the invention is obviously applicable to various kinds of canopies and covers which might be used with an automobile body or other structure, whether or not a top is present or whether or not the part attached is sp cifically a top boot.

Belt molding 21 may, of course, be made by rolling or otherwise rather than by extrusion.

The detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention for the purpose of explaining the principles thereof is not to be considered as limiting or restricting the invention, as many modifications may be made by the exercise of skill in the art.

I claim:

1. In a dust boot installation for a convertible automobile including a body having a top receiving well; a convertible top; a belt molding having an opposed inner projecting edge and outer projecting edge, said belt molding having straight ortions interconnected by curved portions fixed to the body to extend around the side and rear edges of the well, the distance between the inner projecting edge and outer projecting edge of said belt molding being less in the curved portion than in the straight portion and a dust boot; the improvement comprising a plurality of molding engaging clips secured in spaced relation to each other on said dust boot, each of said molding engaging clips having an inner recurved flange and an outer recurved flange adapted to be snapped over the said inner projecting edge and outer projecting edge, respectively, of said belt molding, the spacing between said inner recurved flange and said outer recurved flange on each of said molding engaging clips being the same and such as to permit firm engagement with the straight portion of said belt molding, the inner recurved flange of each of said molding engaging clips being of a width wider than the width of said outer recurved flange so that at least the edges thereof will firmly engage the inner projecting edge of said belt molding when snapped over a curved portion thereof whereby to compensate for the shorter distance between the inner projecting edge and outer projecting edge in the curved portion of said belt molding.

References Cited QNITED STATES PATENTS 3,223,446 12/1965 Coppock 296136 3,332,717 7/1967 Amesbury 296136 LEO FRIAGLIA, Primary Examiner R. SONG, Assistant Examiner 

